Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) —  During the first meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Aziz Abduhakimov, the Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change, held several meetings with ministers and leaders of environmental agencies from various countries.

In a meeting with Abdulrahman Al Fadli, the Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture of Saudi Arabia and President of COP16, A. Abduhakimov proposed strengthening cooperation under the MGI initiative in the following areas:

- Creating a network of in-vitro laboratories aimed at cultivating drought-resistant plants adapted to survival in arid zones.

- Supporting MGI in attracting technical and expert assistance for establishing a "Climate Technology Expo Hub" in the Aral Valley in Muynak.

- Further efforts to green Uzbekistan as part of the nationwide project "Yashil Makon," including at the regional level.

- Assisting Uzbekistan in expanding the geographical influence of the MGI platform, particularly by engaging Central Asian and Caucasian countries.

The Minister also informed the Saudi side about Uzbekistan’s active preparations for the upcoming COP16 and its intentions to showcase the country’s achievements at the national pavilion.

In return, A. Al Fadli expressed support from Saudi Arabia for adopting the Samarkand Declaration on dust and sand storms at COP16.

As a result of the meeting, both sides agreed to explore the proposed projects from Uzbekistan within the MGI framework and to strengthen collaborative efforts to promote issues of desertification and land degradation on the international stage.

During discussions with Ibrahim Thiaw, the Secretary-General of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the parties discussed the possibility of involving UNCCD experts in the "Climate Technology Expo Hub" in the Aral Valley. I. Thiaw noted that the Aral Sea region has significant potential and recommended focusing efforts on scientific research and creating an ecosystem where scientific findings can be immediately tested in the Aral Valley.

In a meeting with Dr. A. Al Subaie, the Minister of Environment and Climate of Qatar, close relations between the two countries were emphasized following the recent visit of a Qatari delegation to Uzbekistan. The ministers agreed that Qatar and Uzbekistan share common issues related to desertification and land degradation, necessitating collaborative efforts to enhance cooperation in this regard.

As a result of the meeting, both sides agreed to establish a two-year cooperation program between their ministries, exchange working groups between Uzbekistan and Qatar for developing joint projects in ecology, and promote scientific exchange between the Central Asian University of Environmental Studies and Climate Change (Green University) and Hamad Bin Khalifa University.

During negotiations with M. Al Noaimi, the Deputy Minister of Climate Change and Environment of the UAE, A. Abduhakimov highlighted ongoing active collaboration with the UAE in ecology, particularly through a project involving the “TADWEER” company on converting waste into energy.

The parties exchanged views on the UAE’s long-term experience in cloud seeding. M. Al Noaimi, as a member of the UAE Rainfall Center’s board, expressed readiness to provide multilateral support to Uzbekistan in sharing experiences and practices. They also reached an agreement on collaboration between Green University and UAE University and the University of Artificial Intelligence on implementing artificial intelligence technologies in climate change modeling and forecasting.

During the meeting with M. Radaideh, the Minister of Environment of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, A. Abduhakimov noted that both Jordan and Uzbekistan, being landlocked countries, share similar challenges related to climate change, water scarcity, and desertification. Jordan has rich experience in desert technology, reverse water supply, effective management of protected natural areas, and developed ecotourism. The ministers also discussed Jordan’s practices in methane extraction and utilization from landfills for electricity generation.

At the end of the meeting, both sides agreed to sign a memorandum during COP29 in Baku and establish a cooperation program while sending expert groups to exchange experiences.

In discussions with Y. Fouad, the Minister of Environment of the Arab Republic of Egypt, the parties talked about Egypt’s experience in air quality monitoring and vulnerability assessment. Considering that Minister Y. Fouad co-chairs negotiations on achieving the New Collective Quantified Goal on climate financing (NCQG), they reached an agreement to support the strengthening of Central Asia’s positions on the platform of the UNFCCC. Minister Y. Fouad also shared Egypt’s experience in hosting the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

Following the meeting, the minister expressed readiness to participate in the events of Uzbekistan’s national pavilion at COP29.